vstars Chapter 598: Danger in Prison
Chapter 598: Danger in Prison
The situation in the imperial city was under the control of Emperor Shenwu, but I don’t know what the situation was like at the border thousands of miles away?
In a dark dungeon at the distant border, several male members of the Lan family were imprisoned separately. Since being taken to the prison, Lan Youchen reviewed everything that had happened. He realized that he had been framed and fallen into a big pit. If he could not clear the stigma on himself, the Lan family would be in an irretrievable situation. Not only would the foundation built over so many years be destroyed, but even the daughter of the queen who was far away in the imperial city would not be able to escape unscathed.
Lan Qingbai, the eldest son of the Lan family, has been mentored by his grandfather since childhood, and his intelligence and scheming are naturally far superior to those of ordinary people. He understands that this is a conspiracy carefully designed against the Lan family, aimed at forcing them into a dead end. It is even more likely that the spearhead will ultimately target the Queen's sister and the Crown Prince in the palace! What will their hidden enemies do next?
Lan Qingbai suddenly stood up from the straw in the dungeon. He rushed to the iron bars and shouted, "Father! Brother! Second uncle! Wake up! Don't sleep anymore!"
They were imprisoned in separate dungeons. Now that they thought about it, it was the people in the dark who wanted to split up and defeat the main branch of the Lan family.
Lan Youchen had just closed his eyes to rest, but he opened them immediately when he heard his eldest son's cry. He stood up suddenly and asked his eldest son in the cell next to him, "Bai'er, what did you think of?"
Lan Qingbai's face was heavy. "Father, Second Uncle, I'm afraid someone might secretly attack us, creating the illusion that we're committing suicide out of fear of punishment!"
Lan Youchen's heart was beating wildly, his face hesitant and solemn. "That shouldn't be the case! This place is under the jurisdiction of the Border City Lord, and he's always been on good terms with our Lan family!"
Xu Qingfeng, the chief city lord of the border, is in charge of border affairs and economy, including discussing wars with the main generals on the border during wartime. He has the right to deploy troops in special periods.
Lan Qinghua, the second son of the Lan family, suddenly whispered, "Listen! What's that noise?"
Lan Qingbai said in a deep voice: "He has a good relationship with the Wang family!"
As dusk deepened, many black figures suddenly appeared in the dark and damp dungeon.
Lan Qingbai exhaled: "Here it comes!"
It seemed the person behind the scenes wouldn't stop until they were dead! They were each imprisoned, unarmed, and locked up for days and nights. Although they had food, the prison food was scarce. They could only eat a little, but they were definitely not full. Under such circumstances, the Lan family would definitely suffer in this fight in the dark of night.
The man in black didn't hesitate at all. He cut the chains of the cell and rushed straight towards his target. The Lan family naturally would not sit still and wait for death. They immediately started fighting with the man in black.
The men in black had no sense of fairness. They attacked one of them directly, and the Lan family was divided and attacked. Lan Youchen made a decision in an instant and shouted sternly, "Quick! Don't get entangled! Come and gather quickly!"
This assassination in the dark night lasted for nearly half an hour. When Lan Youchen was about to give up, he finally cursed: "Damn shameless rat! Only uses these shameful tricks!"
Lan Qingbai blocked the fatal sword for his father in time, but the tip of the sword still cut through Lan Youchen's chest!
"Father!"
Lan Qinghua screamed and rushed to Lan Youchen's side.
Lan Qingbai's face became even darker, and just as he was about to speak, he heard another noise outside the cell.
All the men in black paused for a moment, and they looked at each other, as if they were about to back down.
Lan Qingbai and Lan Qinghua took advantage of the victory and pursued the enemy, forcing the men in black who were close to them to retreat step by step!
"General Lan, I'm here!"
A loud shout echoed in the dungeon. Lan Qingbai was even more courageous. When the man in black tried to retreat, he shouted, "General Ma! Leave these rats behind!"
The men in black were caught in the middle, with no way forward or backward. The newly arrived General Ma and his gang joined forces with the Lan family, and the men in black were killed one by one. Some were subdued, but they did not resist at all, and directly bit the poison sac hidden in their teeth, and in an instant they vomited blood and fell down!
"I go!"
General Ma shouted in a loud voice, "Old Lan, who have you offended? The death warriors!"
Lan Youchen grabbed a piece of cloth and bandaged his wound. "Old Ma, thank you so much for today! Where's Lord Xu? How did you manage to get here in time?"
General Ma shook the blood beads off his sword and said, "Lord Xu is outside. I received a secret letter from the Crown Prince!"
General Ma lowered his voice, "I heard from Lord Xu that he received a secret letter from His Majesty! Soon, when the Dali Temple and the Jinlin Guards arrive, they will escort you to the Imperial City for trial!"
The Imperial Master was imprisoned in the Feather Crane Hall, a section of the Imperial Palace's outer sanctuary. Yet, he remained unfazed, his demeanor restored to the refined demeanor of a veteran of two dynasties, the Emperor's benefactor, and his disciples scattered throughout the court. Even his sitting posture was relaxed and at ease. However, for the past two days, the Imperial Master had refused to eat or drink. He had resolved to die within the palace within a short time. If events on the border deteriorated, he could no longer afford to delay.
The door of the hall was opened and Emperor Shenwu walked in.
His expression was calm, even gentle. "I heard that the Grand Tutor hasn't eaten or drunk anything for two days. I came to see you and see if you've made up your mind to die in my palace."
The Grand Master still held the jade tablet bestowed by the late emperor in his hand. His eyes were filled with complexity. "Your Majesty, I never thought that at the end of my life, I would die right under your nose!"
Emperor Shenwu was silent for a few breaths. "I have had the chessboard set up. Grand Tutor, please play another game with me!"
The Master watched the two young eunuchs set up the chessboard, and his posture straightened even more: "Your Majesty, please!"
Emperor Shenwu plays the black piece first, while Master Taifu plays the white piece.
The two seemed to have returned to the distant past, one teaching attentively, the other extremely intelligent. As the two of them played together, the atmosphere seemed to gradually become harmonious, and there was no trace of the tit-for-tat between the two in the Qianzheng Hall a few days ago.
The situation is gradually coming to an end. Both forces are unwilling to give in. The time has come to reveal the true intentions of the opponent. In the end, White is still at a disadvantage!
The Grand Master threw down the white piece in his hand and said, "I didn't expect that this old minister was still one step behind and lost a few pieces to Your Majesty!"
Emperor Shenwu looked at the chessboard and said, "Grand Master and I are tit for tat, neither willing to give in. My style of play is also relentless and aggressive. It seems that Grand Master and I are destined to be incompatible!"
Emperor Shenwu said no more. He stood up, as if he had come here just to play a game of chess with Master Taifu. "Master Taifu, please stay here!"
The chessboard and chess pieces left by Emperor Shenwu were immediately cleaned up by the young eunuch, and every chess piece was checked clearly. The master returned to his original elegant temperament, aloof yet upright.
Emperor Shenwu walked out of the palace gate. The prince at the door bowed slightly to the Emperor Shenwu and said, "Father, let your son take care of the rest!"
Emperor Shenwu patted the prince's shoulder with satisfaction, turned around and left without saying a word. He tacitly handed over everything in Yuhe Palace to the prince.
The prince turned and entered the Yuhe Palace. He assigned a few clever eunuchs to watch over the Master. He ignored the Master and ordered them to arrange everything in the palace. "If there's anything that makes the Master uncomfortable, tell me and I'll take care of it!"
The Grand Master looked at the Crown Prince coldly: "This old minister would like to have the attendants who serve him come here. What do you think? Can Your Highness do this?"
The prince said with a gentle expression, "Of course! I think Master Taifu's poor appetite is also due to not seeing any familiar faces. I will arrange it right away."
The Grand Master stared at the Prince suspiciously, but the Prince didn't care. In the afternoon, the Grand Master met his entourage.
The Crown Prince treated the Master with courtesy and used the best of everything in the palace. He himself said that he respected the Master because of his father. Many people in the palace believed him, at least the Master's follower Shuqi believed him. Day after day, the Crown Prince took care of the Master in every possible way, which made the taciturn Shuqi believe it.
Shuqi cared for the teacher, who refused to eat or drink. Within two days, the teacher fell into a coma. The prince immediately summoned the imperial physician, but they never expected that the teacher had suffered a stroke! The imperial physician diagnosed him with paralysis, and he would no longer be able to take care of himself, including eating, drinking, defecating, and urinating.
Shuqi was also a little shocked. He naturally understood that the master was determined to commit suicide, but he did not expect that the master could not die after fasting for several days. Shuqi was a little confused. At this time, the prince persuaded Shuqi that as long as the master was still alive, Shuqi, the close attendant, would naturally follow the master and live well!
From then on, the suicidal Master, clutching the jade tablet bestowed by the late Emperor, was meticulously cared for. He was fed and fed, and refused food and drink. Lying in bed, he felt that this life was more tormenting than his own imminent death. The Master could not understand how things had come to this.
After hearing the truth from someone close to Master Shi, other ministers couldn't help but lament Master Shi's ignorance of current events and the Crown Prince's kindness and benevolence! Master Shi stayed in Yuhe Palace half-dead for two or three years.
The prince took action and left behind the useful master who was still alive. As for the others, who cares!
After the prince was diagnosed, he went to the sickbed to see his master, only to see his master's eyes wide open. He stared at the prince in fear, with foam coming out of the corners of his mouth. He could not speak and could only "wooooo" to the prince. No one knew what he wanted to say.
The prince smiled faintly, "Master, you don't have to worry about anything else. There will be people to serve you food and drink. This way, you can live a few more years!"
No! No! No! Master Taifu screamed in his heart. He didn't want to live! He didn't want to live in such humiliation! But why didn't he die? Why did he become like this?
The Crown Prince leaned close to the Master's ear and said coldly, "When you troubled my father, the Emperor, and my mother, the Empress Dowager, did you ever imagine that this day would come? Do you still want to harm my mother?"
The Master's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and the foam at the corners of his mouth only grew thicker! He had never imagined that this young and impetuous prince had been the cause of his current fate!